The Flood advantages and disadvantages

by Heba Soffar ·
Published January 11, 2016
· Updated January 13, 2019

The flood is the large body of water in some areas where it becomes destructive and impedes the natural cycle of living organisms , It may be the result of long periods of the heavy rain , or the rivers or the lakes , When the temperature is high , It can cause the flooding as they cause the ice caps and the snow to melt quickly .

The Flood advantages

There are many benefits of the flooding despite its immediate ill effects , For the farmers and the people in the agricultural sector , It helps them in the long run by providing the nutrients to the soil that were lacking , It makes the soil more fertile and increases the agricultural production .

The nutrients are also added to the rivers and the lakes , They improve the health of the fishes that can be consumed , There may be the relocation of fishes and the organisms living in the water bodies , The flooding may improve the ecosystem , New predators and prey are introduced to the areas , balancing the aquatic population .

The floodplains are the relatively flat lands adjacent to the body of water such as the river or the stream which become flooded ( inundated with the water ) when the channel capacity is exceeded, And the floodplain surrounding the river is used as the agricultural land.

The flood

The floodplains are the dynamic natural systems , The natural processes of the periodic flooding , accompanied by the erosion and the deposition , They bring changes to the topography , the soils , the vegetation , and the physical features within these areas over time .

The floodplains provide the wide range of benefits to the ecosystem and the community that include , The flood storage and the erosion control offer the broad area for the streams and the rivers to spread out and accommodate the temporary storage of the flood water , reducing the flood peaks and the erosion potential .

The flood offers the groundwater recharge , It offers the habitat for the variety of fish and the wildlife, including the rare and the endangered species , It offers the biological productivity , They provide the fertile soils with high rate of plant growth and diversity, richer the agricultural harvests, and healthier forests .

Disadvantages of the Flood

The heavy floods can be so disastrous that the infrastructure is washed away , The people and the animals drown , and the people can be stranded for long periods , The society and the economy of the country will suffer in many ways after the flood .

The loss of the lives , the vegetation , and the infrastructure means there will be fewer people on the labor force , less agriculture available for the locals and the exportation , and less businesses to contribute to the economy of the country .

There will be mass dislocation of people, many people may be left homeless and jobless, So, The government will have to spend a little more, The country may seek the assistance from the foreign countries to supply the food and the materials to clean and replace the infrastructure.

The flood water can be dangerous when they have more depth and speed, It is very dangerous to walk or drive through the flood water when they are six inches of water that can cause unstable footing, and two feet of watercan cause the car to be swept away.

The flood water may carry the silt , the raw sewage , the oil , or the chemical waste , If you can wear the gloves and the boots to avoid coming into contact with the flood water , If you touch the flood water , you are advised to wash your hands thoroughly .

If the wells are flooded , The well will be contaminated , If you are on the public water system , You should listen to the TV or the radio to know if it has become contaminated , The flood waters can also damage the structures and the contents .

The rivers, especially the big ones can cause a lot of mayhem, When they flood, they destroy the livelihoods , They cause the economic damage and they kill the people.